No such literature can be traced to the first three Caliphs...

No such literature can be traced to the first three Caliphs or the Umayyad or Abbasid rulers. Coining and Propagating False traditions Immediately after the Prophet’s death, Abu Bakr, as the first Caliph, appointed Abu Sufyan’s son Yazid as the Governor of Syria. On the death of Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, his brother Mu’awiya was made the Governor of Syria. Marwan, who was banished by the Prophet (S) for sedition, was recalled and retained as a special and trusted advisor to the Caliph .

He was later made the Governor of Egypt. Abu Sufyan, Marwan, and their respective offspring were inveterate enemies of Imam Ali (a.s.). They formed the seed of the Umayyad Dynasty that ruled over Muslims for about a century. They indulged in spreading systematic calumny against the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in general and Ali (a.s.) in particular. The amount of success they achieved can be measured from the fact that most people in Syria, Iraq, and Egypt did not know who Ali (a.s.) was.

Some claimed that he was a bandit who fought against Islam. How this was achieved, constitutes an important and integral part of the conspiracy. Again, this was…